Tag: Year In Review

2023 Year-in-Review: Dom’s Top 10 Games of the Year

DomsPlaying

It’s the final day of 2023, what was a difficult year for the industry yet an incredible time for the games it produced, as you’ll see shortly when I describe my favorite experiences.

In my last post of this latest Year-in-Review series, and of 2023 itself, I’ll run down the ten best games I played then throw in five honorable mentions to celebrate even more developers.

Many folks are calling it the best year in gaming. I even posited if it might be in my 2023 trends recap. While I don’t know about that, since there’s an element of recency bias inherent in that argument, the quality was consistent across various genres at both triple-A and indie levels.

The ranks of my list this year include genres like computer RPG, third-person action, cooking sim, rhythm brawler, vania, soulslike, fishing adventure and survival horror.

For context, by my count I tried over 60 new games during the last 12 months. Whew. Talk about a busy one!

Raise a toast to the winners below, and enjoy your New Year everyone!

Dom’s Top 10 Games of the Year 2023

10. Remnant 2 (Gunfire Games, Gearbox Publishing)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC.

The sequel to 2019’s excellent, often overlooked Remnant from the Ashes went even bigger than its predecessor with its approach to narrative delivery and world-building, offering three bespoke areas to explore and bosses to defeat while keeping the crunchy core mechanics that make the series so enjoyable. Plus, who doesn’t love a game that offers a character class where you have a doggo friend that has skills, bites enemies and revives you?

9. Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks, Bethesda Softworks)

Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC.

The latest from Tango, known better for survival horror than action, came out of nowhere back in January as it stealth dropped on the day it was announced, resulting in a music action game that’s an easy contender for Surprise of the Year. Its characters are endearing while they navigate a syncopated, anti-corporate world that moves to the beat, offering an accessible path to the rhythm genre while incorporating platforming and a competent combat system within Bayonetta-esque battle arenas.

8. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Platforms: PlayStation 5.

PlayStation owns a number of premier studios and Insomniac is its most prolific, producing a fantastic sequel that tells its own tale of heroes and villains while perfecting the traversal for which the modern Spidey series is now known, notably via its new wing suit. High production value shines in set pieces, visual flair and technical prowess as the team gives equal weight to the relationships, stories and personal moments for Peter and Miles as it does their suite of abilities to fight for their beloved New York City neighborhoods.

7. Alan Wake 2 (Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games Publishing)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC.

Over a decade in the making, Alan Wake 2 elevates beyond the innovative 2010 original to something that truly exists between indie film and brain-bending horror, a celebration of the auteur that forgets any boundaries of what an interactive medium can be. Even if it self-indulges into bonkers territory down the stretch, Remedy produced a gem, featuring at least two of 2023’s best sequences within its “We Sing” and “Old Gods” chapters.

6. Lies of P (Round8 Studio, Neowiz Games)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, Mac.

I was sold on Lies of P since the moment Round8 Studio unveiled the “Pinocchio-souls” concept, and it managed to exceed expectations, moving beyond its inspirations to achieve its own high bar of quality that stands out among pretenders in the space. Its world is gritty, aesthetic is relentless, enemy design is impeccable and its twist on customization, especially being able to swap weapon parts to fit one’s build and change out P’s prosthetic arm, prove it has all the makings of a genre classic that isn’t made by FromSoftware.

5. Dave the Diver (Mintrocket, Nexon)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac.

It it indie? Is it AAA? As long as you say Dave the Diver amazing, I don’t care what you call it. In a year of standout fishing games, Mintrocket hooked a spot in my Top 5 because it manages to make water levels both engaging to explore and easy to traverse with its fluid controls and nifty ability system, then deftly layers on a restaurant management simulator and a story centered around ecological rejuvenation.

4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Nintendo)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch.

The latest Super Mario installment is joyful, quirky and constantly charming while retaining the pinpoint precision of a proper platformer. Nintendo offers a suite of levels from novice to uber challenging, a plethora of playable characters (including kid-friendly ones) and both co-op and online multiplayer. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a collector’s dream, adding a snazzy badge system with charged up abilities that only enhanced its masterful mechanics, running neck-and-neck with the classics as the franchise’s best 2D effort in over three decades.

3. Cocoon (Geometric Interactive, Annapurna Interactive)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC.

Made by one of my indie studios of the year in Geometric Interactive, Cocoon is an instant success in the puzzle space, expertly executing its worlds-within-worlds mechanic while coaxing the player to feel like a genius with the lightest of touches. While its terrific art direction blends organic with robotic, its design smartly and subtly signals where and how to move through levels, the rare puzzler that doesn’t ever require a walkthru and never feels frustrating. My only minor complaint is I wish it had a sprint or dodge button; otherwise, it’s immaculate.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch.

They’ve done it, yet again. Tears of the Kingdom ignores the massive expectations Nintendo itself set with the legendary Breath of the Wild, building on the foundation with a suite of interactive tools that would break a lesser game. Nintendo offers a chance to combine almost any item to form something new, build out massive machines, teleport through geometry and jump from the sky to depths in one fell swoop. The result is hilarious failure and constant fun.

Tears of the Kingdom is more about dominating a well-trodden map and familiar mechanics as Link gathers a team and connects a world to fight another imminent threat from his eternal rival. There’s an entire underground that mirrors the surface world, ramping up the survival aspects, plus a myriad of sky islands and cave systems to loot. The latest Zelda boasts some of the series best moments between its “Guidance from Ages Past” quest-line and an epic, emotional Master Sword set piece. The essence of adventure is at its best in this superb sequel that might top this list if it came out any other year.

  1. Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Mac.

The industry never ceases to amaze and astonish, as I never thought I’d ever write this: Baldur’s Gate 3 is my Game of the Year. That’s saying something, and tells you just how special it is. I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons in my life. I’m not the target audience of this kind of crunchy, turn-based role-playing game. What drew me in, and what made it my favorite game of 2023, is the writing, characters, world and exploration. It entranced me, as if under a spell, weaving its tendrils into my very soul.

Very few experiences have the sort of lasting effect, and I still haven’t even finished its last act!

The sheer size and breadth is breathtaking, without being bloated. Every part has been developed with intention. Baldur’s Gate 3 rewards consideration of every action, every relationship, every decision with the utmost care, as much as Larian Studios itself put into making a game of this miraculous scope and, frankly, absurd depth. I can’t begin to calculate the permutations, how every playthru will be personal yet all will have a similar level of quality.

For instance, my paladin rolls with tiefling barbarian Karlach, who is also my romantic partner, high elf rogue Astarion and half-elf cleric Shadowheart, alternating in the druid Halsin or fighter Lae’zel. I’ve heard of people turning these characters away, even killing them, all equally valid ways to progress! It’s not one of those games that pretends decisions mean something. It’s not Mass Effect with paragon versus renegade. It’s fluid. Dialogue and storylines react. Choice is everything.

I will say, it’s not perfect. The first act is the most polished, and there’s been plenty of bugs and save issues documented where Larian continues to issue patches fixing technical issues. Still, the fact that the story of this game is so positive even with these hiccups is a testament to its status as a masterpiece.

Similar to my 2018 winner Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s the exquisite attention to detail, the care put into every interaction, the nooks and crannies of the map that have their own stories, all of these and plenty more elevated Baldur’s Gate 3 to the top of this list, eternally cementing its place in history.

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical):

Armored Cored VI: Fires of Rubicon (FromSoftware, Bandai Namco)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC.

Chants of Sennaar (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC.

Dredge (Black Salt Games, Team17)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC.

Tchia (Awaceb, Kepler Interactive)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC.

Thirsty Suitors (Outerloop Games, Annapurna Interactive)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One.

Sources: Company Media Websites.

-Dom

2023 Year-in-Review: Independent Game Studios of the Year

DomsPlaying

The next category in my prominent and distinguished 2023 Year-in-Review series is ready!

It’s a personal favorite, and an honor to share: Independent Game Studios of the Year.

First off, I don’t set an explicit definition of what’s indie and what isn’t. That’s an exercise in futility, and driven by semantics. I know an indie when I see it.

For instance, as awesome as Dave the Diver is, it won’t be among these ranks. The studios and projects celebrated here are (usually) not owned by a mega publisher, tend to be smaller in scope, team size, budget or all of the above plus feature an aesthetic or design that’s alternative to the traditional AAA space.

That’s my criteria and I’m sticking to it.

It’s exceptionally difficult to whittle this list. After all, there’s a metric ton of incredible indie teams that put out a myriad of games in a given year. Which means I do however many I want. It’s my site. Plus, rules are mostly arbitrary anyway.

For this year’s installment, I’ve shouted out 12 developers from 8 different countries that excelled within the indie space. One for each month, I suppose.

On to the winners, in alphabetical order!

Awaceb (Canada)

This studio of a dozen or so people based out of Montreal was started back in 2016 by Phil Crifo and Thierry Boura. This year, its wholesome and inspired open world adventure Tchia tells a great local story based on the founders’ home nation of New Caledonia, has moved over 1 million units and secured the Games for Impact award at December’s The Game Awards.

Black Salt Games (New Zealand)

This team made up of four Kiwi collaborators in Joel Mason, Nadia Thorne, Alex Ritchie and Michael Bastiaens kicked off making their debut title Dredge in 2020. It’s a twisted take on an open world water tale, merging cosmic horror with nifty fishing mechanics, standing out as one of 2023’s premier, and eternally spooky, experiences while cruising past the million copy sold milestone.

Enhance Games (United States)

Back in 2014, industry veteran Tetsuya Mizuguchi founded Enhance, a creative studio that melds various forms of reality gaming and sensory experiences to make titles like Rez Infinite and Tetris Effect. This year it launched Humanity, a dreamy flow-of-consciousness in which a spirit pup leads human souls to complete puzzles, expanding its already impressive and unique portfolio.

Geometric Interactive (Denmark)

Based out of Copenhagen, Geometric is a focused group led by Jeppe Carlsen and Jakob Schmid, both formerly of Playdead (Limbo and Inside) and it shows with their first effort Cocoon. Remember this world-bending environmental puzzler, which took home Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards among other accolades, as it will certainly show up again in my Game of the Year article.

Kinmoku (Germany)

Among my favorite things is shouting out single developer studios, and that’s the case here with Lucy Blundell aka Kinmoku who left AAA publishing in 2015 to pursue an indie career. After launching One Night Stand in 2016, they found an even bigger audience recently with Videoverse, a nostalgic, narrative homage to online communities of yesteryear distinguished by its striking visual style.

Mojiken Studio (Indonesia)

This prolific, tight-knit squad is based out of Surabaya and defines its work using a pixelated approach that’s comforting and aesthetically pleasing. 2023’s gem A Space for the Unbound is set in its native Indonesia and expands on its ethos, offering a heartfelt story about teenage love and spiritual growth layered on a supernatural backdrop.

Outerloop Games (United States)

Co-founder Chandana Ekanayake is the creative lead behind the fully distributed and minority led Outerloop Games, previously best known for 2019’s Falcon Age. The group’s fantastic 2023 title Thirsty Suitors is a highlight of inclusivity and culture, both dramatic and romantic, with its snappy animations, wonderful writing and a sublime coexistence of narrative and mechanics.

Rundisc (France)

This team located in Toulouse now has a couple releases under its belt, launching Varion in 2018 and the exceptional Chants of Sennaar back in September in what showcased their immense talent. It’s a miraculous entanglement of peoples and politics told through deciphering of language, showing there’s always a path towards mending fractured relationships even amidst all the challenges that inevitably present themselves.

Sabotage Studio (Canada)

Thierry Boulanger and Martin Brouard formally spawned Sabotage back in 2016 after painstakingly prototyping what would become 2018’s action platformer The Messenger. The team grew in size over time then went a different route with this year’s Sea of Stars, a magical turn-based title that keeps the tradition of retro RPGs alive while enhancing the formula with modern trappings, attracting 4 million players along the way.

Sad Owl Studios (Scotland)

This team’s first effort Viewfinder was initially started by Matt Stark back in 2019, after which his studio Robot Teddy was purchased by Thunderful then renamed Sad Owl Studios. The level-based first-person walker features perhaps the most innovative concept in gaming this year, whereby the player takes pictures that shape the environment in a mesmerizing display that truly has to be experienced to be believed.

Tour de Pizza (United States)

This is a fun one, considering its studio name and cartoonish creation are based on the most perfect food ever created by humans. A group of folks including online personas McPig and Sertif spent five years making what’s probably the goofiest entry here in Pizza Tower, a sharp, sometimes masochistic, high-paced platformer featuring main character Peppino Spaghetti that keeps speed-runners and pain lovers alike salivating similar to its namesake.

Visai Games (Canada)

The final entry also prominently features food, albeit in a much more familial and familiar setting, cooked up by the intimate team at Visai Games out of Toronto. Led by art director Sam Elkana and writer slash producer Shahrin Khan, the delightful Venba is about the ups and downs of an Indian family living in Canada and centers around meals, identity and maturing in a place that isn’t necessarily home, yet can be over enough time.

Sources: Studio Media Relations Websites, Gamatomic (Image Credit), Game Informer (Image Credit).

-Dom

2023 Year-in-Review: Five Most Impressive Gaming Companies & The People Who Defined Them

DomsPlaying

Continuing the site’s prestigious Year-in-Review series, I’m back with an enhanced category this year that expands on my history of shouting out the developers and publishers that defined the industry the past year.

These are five of the most impressive companies that operated in the gaming space during 2023, leading the charge on what was an extremely strong year of titles. These can be developers, publishers, hardware makers and more.

Plus, fitting the theme of celebrating those that worked hard on putting out great games or related products this year. I’ve added a portion to shout out at least a couple folks at each firm integral to the projects these companies have produced. Companies aren’t monolithic. They aren’t the building, logo or executives. They are people.

Note this is usually reserved for larger, often publicly-traded, firms. I have a separate post incoming soon running down the incredible indie studios that launched amazing games in 2023 as well.

Here’s the full list, in alphabetical order!

Capcom (Japan)

Long-time Japanese publisher Capcom continued its resurgence this past year, launching two of the industry’s most recognizable, outstanding experiences. First in May, teams teams put out a remake to the classic Resident Evil 4, an enhanced version of the already classic survival horror game, becoming one of the fastest-selling Resident Evil titles and scooping up various accolades.

Then there was Street Fighter 6 in June, a return-to-form for the fighting franchise that captivated fighting games and a more casual audience. Plus, September’s Monster Hunter Now was one of my favorite mobile titles of 2023, an exceptional adaptation of the formula to a new set of devices.

Special kudos to Street Fighter 6 director Takayuki Nakayama and art director Kaname Fujioka. These two guided the general design and art of one of Capcom’s fastest-selling fighting games, and a competitive platform that will be heavily featured in official tournaments and off-book battles for years to come.

Insomniac Games (United States)

The team at Insomniac Games single-handedly carried PlayStation’s first party output in 2023, launching a major sequel in its beloved modern Spider-Man series in collaboration with one of last year’s winners in Marvel Entertainment. Plus, it showed resilience earlier this month when hackers breached its data in a cruel criminal act that rocked the industry.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which had the single biggest 24 hours of sales in PlayStation history when it released in October, felt like the pinnacle of the studio’s ethos. It’s a free-flowing take on the comics with its own spin on the hero’s journey that features both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, plus the villainous Venom which is the star of the title’s most exhilarating sequence. It’s a, hm, marvel of technical prowess and smart accessibility, with the snappiest loading and finest traversal of any game this year.

Creative lead Bryan Intihar was wonderfully sharp and candid in interviews, clearly exhibiting his deep love for the series and studio’s legacy. I’d also like to call out Senior Community Manager Aaron Jason Espinoza who runs the developer’s social accounts and is a solid follow himself.

Larian Studios (Belgium)

It was a Larian Studios world in 2023, everyone else was just living in it. The 400-person Belgian team’s appearance here comes on the strength of Baldur’s Gate 3, a decade plus effort that started in early access back in 2020 then fully launched this year in August to widespread critical acclaim and highly-deserved commercial success.

The instant classic has already won multiple Game of the Year awards, and will contend on my list when I finish it up, redefining the computer role-playing space with its scope, breadth and utter audacity of ways to play, reacting to player choices like no other game in recent memory.

One of my shout outs has to be Swen Vincke, photoed above, Larian fixture and star of The Game Awards in his shiny armor. Vincke’s talent is outmatched only by his team dedication, posting an endearing set of thank yous on social to those that made Baldur’s Gate possible. Plus, there’s Adam Smith, who led the title’s writing. The sheer amount of dialogue, story beats and permutations is enough to make one’s head spin, and Smith’s team coordinated it brilliantly.

Nintendo (Japan)

In the potential final year of Nintendo’s now illustrious Switch, it brought the heat in a portfolio of games that rival only the hybrid console’s 2017 launch window. May’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and October’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder are easy Game of the Year contenders, with the former reaching nearly 20 million units sold already and the latter being the fastest-selling mainline Super Mario.

The company rounded out its 2023 lineup with Pikmin 4, already the franchise’s lifetime top seller, Metroid Prime Remastered, Detective Pikachu Returns, WarioWare: Move It! and Super Mario RPG remake. Then, back in April, it collaborated with Illumination Entertainment on box office blast The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an awesome adaptation that exceeded most expectations both in quality and cash generated.

Usually it’s Shigeru Miyamoto that’s associated with the Italian plumber, and rightfully so. I want to point out the more unsung, tenured heroes on the team in Super Mario Bros. Wonder producer Takashi Tezuka and director Shiro Mouri. Tezuka-san is a living legend, starting at Nintendo a staggering 40 years ago. Dude was assistant director on 1985’s Super Mario Bros. for crying out loud. Mouri-san is a relative “newcomer” who worked on F-Zero during the Nintendo 64 era then certain 2D Mario and Zelda titles. These two have a magnificent track record and helped craft what I think is the greatest side-scrolling Mario since 1990’s Super Mario World (a game that Tezuka-san also led).

Remedy Entertainment (Finland)

If 2019’s Control was Remedy going for mind-bending action, October’s Alan Wake 2 was its foray into classic survival horror, and a monumental one at that. There’s nothing quite like a Remedy game as the Finnish studio’s approach is unlike any other, pushing boundaries of both technical aspects and genre-mashing to form titles that are wholly different and often groundbreaking.

This year’s masterful sequel to 2010’s Alan Wake was the culmination of a 13 year journey for the team, showing a level of sticktoitiveness that plenty of studios would abandon. Alan Wake 2 is an experience that blends suspenseful story, full motion video and over-the-shoulder mechanics in what’s the most uniquely bizarre triple-A joint of 2023.

From the above image are lead writer Sam Lake and Alan Wake 2 director Kyle Rowley, clearly enjoying themselves while winning at The Game Awards. Industry visionary Sam Lake has become the face of the studio and is prominently featured in their games, thus carving carved out a lane for Remedy’s weird, magical approach to design. As for Rowley, if there’s anything that the new Alan Wake installment should be known for in the annals of history, it’s game direction. The definition of an impressive effort by him and his team.

Sources: Company Media & Investor Websites, Kotaku (Image Credit).

-Dom

2023 Year-in-Review: Biggest Trends in Gaming, Tech & Media

DomsPlaying

As I mentioned in my recent Year-in-Review megapost, it’s time to run down and wrap up the year that was 2023.

First up is a recap of the biggest trends across gaming, technology and media that guided the story during the last 12 months, and will have a major impact on the future of these sectors. Better or worse, it was a busy time for those within and following these industries.

Below I’ll go through six of the biggest trends then a bonus for fellow games industry enthusiasts out there. It wasn’t all pretty. In fact, I’d argue it was overall a tough year especially for folks whose livelihoods depend on working in and around technology.

Without further delay, I’ll move right into it. There’s a whole lot of ground to cover after all!

Labor Market, Layoffs, Strikes & Return to Office

One of the main, and disheartening, things that people will remember about 2023 was a broadly decaying labor market. After the pandemic period of easy money and hiring bursts, a correct came this past year as a laundry list of industry-driving companies suffered layoffs or business unit closures. Microsoft, Google, Zoom, Twitter, Yahoo, Vimeo, Hasbro and Tik Tok owner ByteDance cut their respective workforces, some by double-digits. Meta Platforms, Amazon, Spotify and LinkedIn all had two rounds of job cuts. Walt Disney had three.

It’s estimated the tech industry lost a staggering 240K jobs, or 50% more than 2022. The games industry cut almost 10 thousand. It was a painful indication of what can happen when companies over-expand, mismanage or aren’t able to adjust, with lower tier employees suffering more than their C-suite overlords. Plus, those that did remain were forced back to the office, as only 26% of American households have someone working remotely, down from almost 40% in 2021. Roughly 66% of U.S. workers are back to the office full time, up from 41% a year ago. Upside being that unionizing and collective action can work, with the major examples being Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA pressing film and TV execs, a bright spot amidst a difficult year for workers.

Consolidation Continues as Activision Blizzard Joins Microsoft

Merger and acquisition activity heated up this past year, with the global volume of deals jumping 27% to almost $2 trillion in value through just the first three quarters. This came even amidst rising interest rates and volatility in global markets. Within my covered sectors here, there was Broadcom and VMWare, Savvy Games and Scopely, Sega Sammy and Rovio, Oracle and Cerner, Opentext and Micro Focus plus ServiceNow and Era Software.

Then, the corporate saga I’ve been tracking the most closely ended as Microsoft finally closed its purchase of Activision Blizzard in October. It was the finale of a two year-long fiasco of regulatory hurdles, market pressures and data leaks. The nearly $70 billion deal was the largest ever for the games industry, whereby a massive third party software publisher became part of a platform holder, bringing the likes of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and, quite importantly, mobile titles like Candy Crush into Microsoft’s possession to bolster its Game Pass and cloud services. Best of all, the closure means scummy industry villain Bobby Kotick will no longer run Activision Blizzard, a total win for its employees and culture.

Coming Out Party for So-Called Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence, shortened to AI, is a phrase used so commonly to describe many things that aren’t actually it, and 2023 was the year where usage of adjacent services or products truly ramped up in the mainstream, moving beyond the dreams of start-up nerds and angel investors. Wikipedia said it was one of the most viewed topics of its online database. Investment flooded into companies specializing in the space, futurists talked of its melding with humanity and governments scrambled to catch up to the pace of progression.

While this partially happened to due to deep fake videos, robo-news stories and computerized music, the real reason was large language models (LLMs). Namely, the chatbot called ChatGPT. Made by OpenAI, a firm mired in controversy that only helped to popularize it, the service accumulated a staggering 100 million users per week this past year. It became a popular tool for students and email writers alike, blasting Open AI’s annual revenue past $1 billion compared to under $30 million in 2022. Everyone is trying to get in on the action, with competitors including Google’s Bard, Meta’s Llama 2 and Bing AI via Microsoft. It’s the easiest entry point for the public to see what certain types of “intelligence” are capable of while projecting a variety of potential futures, some of them dark for the course of humanity.

Rising Streaming Costs & Media Subscription Changes

This could be a recurring category as companies adapt content delivery methods to squeeze consumers for dollars. While moderate inflation, or when prices are generally increasing over time, isn’t necessarily news, 2023 saw outsized “streamflation” in that plenty of major services jacked up rates, some of them multiple times. Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ Spotify and Xbox Game Pass all became more expensive. Apple raised the cost of AppleTV, twice. Amazon reiterated that starting in the new year, Prime Video will have ads and charge a fee for ad-free viewing. Cost savings from cord-cutting just ain’t what it used to be.

Then there’s companies moving to rename, restructure or reorganize their services, adding or consolidating levels such that no one can ever truly keep up. Warner Bros Discovery combined HBO Max and others into Max starting mid-year. Sony wholly rebranded its PlayStation Plus membership system around that time as well. Paramount Global recently announced Paramount+ With Showtime. It’s enough to make your head spin, and your bank account hurt.

Companies & Governments Battle in Court

While I’m not a legal expert, I tend to track certain courtroom tussles that impact major companies because it can dictate the direction of vast industries, the people who work in them and those that spend money on them. Global regulators, especially the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the United Kingdom’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) heated up scrutiny, namely around antitrust and merger activity. There was the aforementioned Microsoft and Activision Blizzard deal, plus Meta buying up virtual reality firm Within Unlimited, both of which moved forward despite governmental pressures. Meta also settled anti-privacy lawsuits in 2023, agreeing to pay $725 million yet maintaining claims of no wrongdoing.

Then there’s the historic U.S. antitrust suit against Google alleging a monopoly in online search, which closed arguments in November and has a verdict due likely in the first quarter of 2024. As for companies fighting each other, Epic Games won its recent case against Google where the jury ruled that Google’s app policy is monopolistic in certain aspects. Which is intriguing, considering a couple years back, the Fortnite maker mostly lost to Apple in a very similar suit. That’s law for ya.

Best Year (Maybe) Ever for Game Releases

In a bout of more positive news, the last 12 months was pound-for-pound one of the top times for game releases. Fans of various genres were not just eating well, but chowing down a lot. Even if, woefully, many people that made them aren’t properly recognized or no longer have jobs. As I’ll cover in later Year-in-Review posts, the quality was consistent and outstanding. Baldur’s Gate 3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Super Mario Bros Wonder. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Final Fantasy XVI. Alan Wake 2. Diablo IV. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. Hogwarts Legacy. Lies of P. Dave the Diver. Hi-Fi Rush. Starfield (love or hate it). Street Fighter 6. Mortal Kombat 1.

Not to mention, 2023 saw multiple indie contenders like Chants of Sennaar, Cocoon, Dredge, Pizza Tower, Tchia and Sea of Stars alongside mobile joints like Monster Hunter Now and Honkai Star Rail. This was supplemented by remakes or reissues of legacy titles like Dead Space, Resident Evil 4 and Metroid Prime. Even one of the highest rated virtual reality experiences ever in Asgard’s Wrath 2. Sure, it also produced stinkers like Redfall, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Skull Island: Rise of Kong and the campaign in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. No year is perfect. In aggregate, it’s been mostly a legendary run that stands with the best of them.

Bonus: Embarrassing & Epic Embracer Group Fail

On the flip side, the biggest games industry fail of 2023 goes to Embracer Group and its management, led by Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lars Wingefors. Executives have misguided the bloated Swedish conglomerate, which owns a bunch of operating groups and employed nearly 17 thousand people at its height, making poor decision after poor decision in a frankly shameful display of ineptitude that ultimately affected the lives of thousands of employees.

This started during the pandemic, when Wingefors and crew decided to spend easy cash on scooping up dozens upon dozens of studios and intellectual property rights, expand into tabletop via Asmodee and pursue comics via Dark Horse, attempting to capitalize on volume rather than quality. Once interest rates rose and debt piled up, management tried to secure a deal worth $2 billion with an unknown partner, now reported to be Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games, which ultimately didn’t happen. This led to a disastrous 2023 of layoffs, project cancellations and business unit closures, with teams like Volition Games closing its doors and Gearbox Entertainment supposedly being shopped around for sale. The pain isn’t over as Embracer’s restructuring will continue into next year and beyond, all as a result of repeatedly bad calls by those at the top.

Sources: CNBC, Company Media & Investor Websites, LinkedIn (Image Credit), Marvin Meyer (Image Credit), NPR (Image Credit), Skadden, TechCrunch.

-Dom

2023 Year-in-Review Megapost is Here

DomsPlaying

That’s all she, and I, wrote. Well, almost. Because 2023 is nearly done.

Which can only mean one thing: It’s time for my prestigious, anticipated, incredible Year-in-Review!

This marks the seventh (!) installment of my annual wrap-up series, where I recap the biggest, best and often bittersweet topics across gaming, technology and media from the last 12 months.

Broadly, across four different categories, I’ll be highlighting a number of topics impacting these industries. From layoffs to labor. Consolidation to unionization. Return to office to hybrid workflows. Artificial intelligence to large language models. Information breaches to antitrust suits. Megalomaniac leaders and Twitter to China and Tik-Tok. Barbenheimer to Mario Bros. Fantastic games to hardware supply.

Scroll below for a rundown of the specific articles you’ll have to look forward to during this year-end time, which runs the gamut from celebration to lamentation. I’ll add links as the posts go up.

Biggest Trends in Gaming, Tech & Media

Five Most Impressive Gaming Companies & The People Who Defined Them

Independent Game Studios of the Year

Dom’s Top 10 Games of the Year

I know I’m partial; I highly recommend bookmarking this post. That makes it super easy to check back often for full coverage of my 2023 Year-in-Review wrap-up!

Thanks so much for visiting and making it a great year here at the site and on social media. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Be safe and well!

-Dom

2022 Year-in-Review: Dom’s Top 10 Games of the Year

DomsPlaying

Happy New Year, everyone!

Before I mentally move into 2023, there’s one last thing for me to do. Write about my favorite games, and rank them for fun!

In my last post of the year and time to run down the best of what turned out to be a busy 12 months across the spectrum of games, even if the AAA calendar was more sparse than usual. Don’t let anyone tell you that the industry had an off year. Mid-tier and indie devs picked up the slack, and launched several memorable experiences. Plus, PlayStation Studios had a great run.

This is probably the most diverse, experimental list in the seven (!) years I’ve been posting them here. There’s everything from sprawling open words, heartfelt mythological journeys, spooky point-and-click titles, immersive full motion video interactions and gorgeous, cutesy adventures. Almost all platforms are represented, from mobile and web to traditional consoles.

For context, I played roughly 50 games in 2022. Check below for which ones made my prestigious Top 10, then a set of five amazing honorable mentions. Toast your glasses to gaming!

Dom’s Top 10 Games of the Year 2022

10. Tinykin (Splashteam Devs, tinyBuild)

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC.

Admittedly I didn’t have Tinykin on my radar coming into the year, and boy am I glad I played this 3D platformer with its distinct visual styling, smart progression elements and cute creature collecting. Splashteam crafted a beautiful, realized setting and knocked the character dialogue out of the park.

9. Card Shark (Nerial, Devolver Digital)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC.

I have a feeling the historical “cheating simulator” Card Shark won’t be on many year-end lists, which is quite disappointing considering how excellent its artwork, mechanics and writing proved to be. Shuffle those in with a great tutorial system and an on-the-run story with plenty of twists and turns, and developer Nerial loaded up the deck with plenty of aces here.

8. Citizen Sleeper (Jump Over the Age, Fellow Traveller)

Platforms: Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC.

Dabbling in everything from consciousness and artificial intelligence to capitalism and community, Citizen Sleeper expertly captures the desolation of existing within a scary society and navigating one’s course with limited resources. Its introduction of randomness via dice rolls eerily echoes the crapshoot that is life, and the game’s constant ticking clocks combined with fragile relationships make its decisions as affecting as any across gaming in 2022.

7. Wordle (Josh Wardle)

Platforms: Web Browser.

The internet set ablaze in January when Wordle skyrocketed in popularity, filling up social media feeds everywhere with intriguing blocks and competitive spirit. Considering I’m still playing Josh Wardle’s wonderful love-letter to his partner Palak Shah all these months later reinforces the brilliance of its “one chance per day” setup, a clever way to express how every single choice counts when trying for consistency in one’s ongoing existence.

6. A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio, Focus Entertainment)

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC.

The sequel to 2019’s masterpiece A Plague Tale: Innocence intensifies the plight of brother and sister Hugo and Amicia, pushing its stealth gameplay into new avenues and continuing the stellar narrative navigation throughout the dark times of 14th century France. It’s a technical showpiece, shoving thousands of rats and heaps of prowling guards into most levels, plus shows what perfect pacing can do for the arc of adventure, culminating in a teary, shocking conclusion.

5. High on Life (Squanch Games)

Platforms: Xbox, PC.

Justin Roiland and Squanch Games snuck High on Life in during December, wrapping up 2022 with the industry’s most ludicrous, hilarious release. The first-person shooter-comedy redefines the medium’s boundaries, featuring a suite of talking weapons played by incredible actors, nifty platforming, chunky mechanics, vulgar writing and even a few in-game movies, resulting in one of Xbox’s most eccentric, exceptional and popular titles of the year.

4. Immortality (Half Mermaid, Netflix)

Platforms: Xbox, PC, Android, iOS.

Sam Barlow and Half Mermaid’s entries into the interactive gaming space ingeniously utilize full motion video and awesome acting to tell stories that most games can’t, and Immortality is the team’s magnum opus. It’s a set of film clips and behind-the-scenes glimpses that present as one thing then quickly turn into something extraordinary, peeling back layers as it progresses, to the point where it’s difficult to talk about why it works so well without completely spoiling the story. Suffice to say this master class of design firmly lands among my favorites of 2022.

3. Norco (Geography of Robots, Raw Fury)

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC.

Starting off my Top 3 is Norco, an adventure set in a supernatural, Southern techno-industrial town that starts as a daughter’s return to her hometown and blossoms into a thrilling search for family, faith, religion and closure. It’s hard to pin down this bizarre game mainly because it’s so unique, always moving in unexpected ways while including robot helpers and cultlike societies, shady characters and folklore galore. Navigation is easy across its user interface, a stark contrast to figuring out where it’s going, and the player can land on a variety of endings depending on how they choose to steer the plot, all of it transformative and downright miraculous.

2. God of War Ragnarök (Santa Monica Studio, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Platforms: PlayStation.

I’m not sure God of War Ragnarök tops its 2018 predecessor, which totally revamped the series, however its story progression, character movement, mechanical prowess and area design made it come darn near close. It’s a rich take on Norse mythology and the introduction of new characters, notably Richard Schiff’s depiction of Odin, force plenty of rivalries and team-ups that serve as the underpinnings for a sweeping arc.

Its open zone approach entices exploration while it pulls on heartstrings and allows a new perspective other than Kratos by occasionally swapping to control of his now teenage son Atreus, a clever dichotomy that fits mechanically and narratively. Not to mention the art direction and scenery design mesh with solid performance to showcase the PlayStation 5’s power, resulting in a fitting conclusion to this latest God of War saga while simultaneously opening doors to future epics.

1. Elden Ring (FromSoftware, Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC.

If you’ve followed me on social media at any point since Elden Ring launched back in February, its position as the year’s best comes as no surprise. FromSoftware has been building to this masterpiece for years, successfully delivering the ideal of traditional soulslike action role-playing within an spacious, ominous open world that boasts some of gaming’s most spectacular art design and general vibes to date. The Lands Between is one of the most realized, enchanting settings ever, providing the backdrop for the player’s rise as Tarnished in this foreign kingdom.

What makes Elden Ring stand out from everything that’s come before is how it’s simultaneously more accessible and just as rewarding as any challenging game in FromSoftware’s portfolio. The introduction of a fast travel system, offering of a speedy mount in Torrent and a plethora of summons available, both non-playable character and human alike, mean there’s rarely a place where players bump up against something that halts progression. That doesn’t mean there aren’t tricky encounters, there’s plenty, it’s just that the team provides more tools to deal with them or take a break when something isn’t going well.

Then it produces an incredible feeling that around every corner, there’s something worthwhile to find. My two favorite parts of Elden Ring both revolved around moments where possibilities seemed endless, and were equally as jaw-dropping. First was stepping into its second main area of Liurnia, overlooking a shallow lake in the middle with a magic academy to my right and rolling hills to my left. I knew the next dozen or so hours would take me to every nook and cranny. Then there’s the famous descent into Siofra River, a seemingly endless elevator ride deep into an underground expanse full of supernatural specters under a ceiling of stars.

These kinds of awe-inspiring moments captured the essence and potential of Elden Ring, a game so massive that I couldn’t believe just how much was on its map. This doesn’t even get into it’s underlying lore, cast of characters, expansive world-building and narrative that forms the ultimate fate of The Lands Between. My time with Elden Ring was the most special I had all year, and it’s one of the single best games I’ve played in my life. It’s beyond worthy of 2022’s Game of the Year.

Honorable Mentions

As Dusk Falls (INTERIOR/NIGHT, Xbox Game Studios)

Platforms: Xbox, PC.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human (Techland)

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC.

Horizon Forbidden West (Guerilla Games, Sony Interaction Entertainment)

Platforms: PlayStation.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo)

Platforms: Nintendo Switch.

Marvel Snap (Second Dinner, Nuverse)

Platforms: PC, Android, iOS.

There we have it. What a list!

And with that, 2022 Year-in-Review here at Working Casual comes to a bittersweet end. Thanks to everyone for making it another awesome year at the site and on social media. Switch back over to the megapost for all things year-end.

All the best to you in 2023!

Sources: Media Sites.

-Dom

2022 Year-in-Review: Independent Studios of the Year

DomsPlaying

It’s time for arguably my favorite article of the year!

As part of my year-end recap series, here I’ll be celebrating smaller teams and indie developers across the games industry. These folks, whether a tight-knit studio or one-person team, filled out an incredible annual calendar of indie experiences during 2022.

Their excellent games ranged from adventures to live action, from puzzle to speed-running and various types in between. Many will stick with me for years to come, and some will definitely occupy a space on my favorite titles of the year.

No reason to wait any longer. I know the suspense is palpable! In alphabetical order, here are the lucky 13 best indie studios of 2022.

Andrew Shouldice

The first entry is mostly a one-man developer in Andrew Shouldice. The Canadian’s story in development begins at Silverback Productions for a few years then shifts to full time work on the highly ambitious project in Tunic, a Zelda-inspired adventure game. The top-down title launched in March after many years of work from Shouldice and a small team of collaborators, an exquisite blend of colorful artwork, tricky combat, puzzle execution and an ingenious in-game manual that communicates mechanics via visual hints. It’s the culmination of many stressful sessions and years of hard work from Shouldice, thus easily earning a spot on this list.

Angel Matrix

Headlined by Ben Esposito, of Donut County fame, Angel Matrix is a collective of people across many disciplines that launched its first game Neon White this past year. The fast-paced, first-person speed runner is a sensory onslaught, blending expert platforming, slick shooting and a sick soundtrack from Machine Girl to result in something resembling nothing else I played in 2022. Throughout its release month of June, gamers everywhere fought for leader board positioning and chatted with heavenly assassins in a one-of-a-kind world built by Angel Matrix.

BlueTwelve Studio

Within the south of France, BlueTwelve Studio developed “the cat game” Stray, an indie darling and Best Debut Indie Game winner at The Game Awards. The PlayStation console exclusive is the premier kitty experience across all of gaming, a third-person adventure where the player unravels riddles within an underground city of robots. In typical feline fashion, there’s the ability to climb, claw, creep and snuggle up for a quick snooze, and all the while BlueTwelve tells a tight narrative via context clues and environmental puzzles. It’s hard to see meow the team can top Stray, one of 2022’s pawsitively delightful mysteries.

Geography of Robots

Mainly comprised of five members named Yuts, Aaron Gray, Jesse Jacobi, fmAura and Gewgawly I, the team at Geography of Robots launched one of 2022’s most unique stories in Norco back in March. It’s an exceptional, inventive point-and-click narrative that’s based around choice within a supernatural Southern setting, originating from a multimedia project all the way back in 2015. It’s biographical for Yuts, who grew up in the titular Norco, Louisiana, and the team’s years of development paid off as the title won Tribeca Film Festival’s inaugural gaming award back in 2021. Not to mention it’s the reason why the studio is on this list as well. And rightfully so.

Half Mermaid

Highly-decorated indie designer Sam Barlow (Her Story) is known for moving past the medium’s traditional setup, leveraging full motion video and experimenting with user interfaces. He organized Half Mermaid in 2017, and after Telling Lies in 2019, they started on what is undoubtedly a modern masterpiece in Immortality. This smashing showpiece of interactive storytelling blurs the line between media, existing somewhere among avant-garde films and point-and-click games, telling a multi-layered tale of an actress across three of her unreleased movies. Half Mermaid nails its mission of using a “spectrum of narrative genres” to tell its stunning stories, and continues to showcase what gaming can be when it’s at its most original.

INTERIOR/NIGHT

The London-based studio INTERIOR/NIGHT formed in 2017 as it’s managed by former Quantic Dream lead Caroline Marchal and features a diverse set of industry vets. Their goal is similar to the prior entry, mixing an episodic television approach with interactivity. During July, the team launched its debut title As Dusk Falls which is known for a stark, stop-motion art style and a myriad of difficult choices that push characters in different directions depending on the playthru. Its multiplayer mode is exceedingly novel, allowing up to 8 players to vote on outcomes and guide the overall movement. Reminiscent of projects from LucasArts and Telltale, INTERIOR-NIGHT’s first effort is among the best decision-driven stories of 2022.

Josh Wardle

For those online during the first couple months of 2022, the yellow and green boxes of Josh Wardle’s Wordle were inescapable. In the best way possible. The elegantly-simple digital sensation of a word game has an incredibly sweet story behind it. Wardle started it up as a fun way to pass the time with his partner Palak Shah, who also played a pivotal role in the game’s early development. Accessed solely on a web browser, Wordle’s “one puzzle a day” is the crutch of its genius, providing an avenue for folks to compete then come back to continue their streak. Its beautiful backstory culminated in The New York Times purchasing it for over a million bucks, solidifying Wordle in the pantheon of internet history forever.

Jump Over the Age

Here’s another solo developer that excelled in 2022. Gareth Damian Martin, who has done everything from designing games to critical writing and running a zine to lecturing on the academic circuit, is behind Jump Over the Age. They produced their second title in Citizen Sleeper in May, challenging thoughts around the coldness of capitalism, the weight of debt and challenge of community. It’s a creative, story-based achievement set on a spooky, desolate space colony that introduces randomness, as life itself often does, via dice rolls and light survival mechanics. Featuring excellent character art and promising prose, Gareth’s inquisitive, insightful indie should be a sleeper pick for plenty of year-end lists.

Massive Monster

Cult of the Lamb is the biggest release to date for Massive Monster, a small studio spanning Australia and the United Kingdom that started back in 2016 in the aftermath of the flash game era. The title is a true hybrid, combining bespoke concepts into a singular experience: Community simulator meets dungeon-crawler. Juicy dark humor and devilish decisions parallel the snappy, satisfying mechanics of diving into dungeons and smashing enemies in Massive Monster’s latest, which isn’t tied down by traditional genre convetions. Roguelike elements and time management intersperse in Cult of the Lamb, a standout gem of a game, forcing choices with weight as the player evolves into a benevolent leader or nefarious commander.

Nerial

Listing around a dozen people on its website, Nerial is the studio behind Card Shark, the single most underrated indie triumph of 2022. Based out of the United Kingdom, the team made Reigns titles prior to launching 2020’s Orwell’s Animal Farm. This past year brought about what I think is its magnum opus in Card Shark. Many more people should be talking about Nerial’s tour de force, with its high quality 18th century French artwork and nifty puzzles that center around cheating at parlor games to snatch winnings from pompous rich folks and historical figures alike. The best part is its tangible mechanics, capturing the feel of shuffling cards or peeking at an opponent’s hand. There’s also an underlying story that deals with deceit and cunning, a truly complete package of delectable deception.

Poncle

What started as a pet project for Luca “Poncle” Galante turned into one of the hottest, most highly-praised indie darlings of 2022 in Vampire Survivors. For good reason. Beginning the year in early access then pushing towards full release in October, Poncle’s project is severely addictive with its old school trappings, catchy music and singular premise: stay alive. The simplicity of control is reminiscent of an idle game, where players determine movement with a joystick while picking upgrades when leveling up. There’s much more to Vampire Survivors than it initially presents, unraveling progression as a player’s expertise grows. Poncle has found a perfect niche, a modern-day arcade accomplishment, which has a gameplay hook and “one more play” potential like none other in recent memory.

Splashteam Devs

As one of the year’s sneaky good indies, Tinykin is a delightful platform adventure with Pikmin-esque creature collecting, superb world feel and exemplary puzzle design. The team behind this amazing amalgamation is Splashteam, a close crew including former Ubisoft employees that worked on Rayman and Rabbids franchises. Launched in August, Tinykin is their second game after 2017’s Splasher and it’s an immaculate foray into 3D platforming, featuring cute animations, referential writing and flawless pacing. Additional stand outs are its setting and characters, led by astronaut Milo who meets various communities of tiny critters within a mysterious, massive house. The payoff is great as one of 2022’s top indies really scratches the eternal itch of exploration and collection.

Squanch Games

It’s incredibly difficult to be genuinely funny, especially in games because of the added challenge of player interactivity. Leave it to Justin Roiland (Rick & Morty) and the team at Squanch Games to accomplish this feat, often pushing the limit of absurdest humor and wacky characters in prior games like Trover Saves the Universe and Accounting+. Their most recent release High on Life is one of 2022’s best. It’s Squanch Games at its biggest, boldest and raunchiest. Writers and artists run wild with a ridiculous alien adventure that mostly lands, adapting solid metroidvania components and a colorful graphical palette into a twisted tale of interplanetary drug cartels and humanity’s last hope. It’s as much an interactive comedy as first-person shooter, pumping the player full of laughs as a late year Game of the Year contender.

It’s a longer list than usual because of just how many excellent indie projects released in 2022. Which indies stood out to you? What do you think of the list?

Thanks for making it this far in my celebration of the best indie studios over the past 12 months. Navigate back to my 2022 Year-in-Review megapost for more!

Sources: Media Sites, The Signal (Image Credit), The Times (Image Credit).

-Dom

2022 Year-in-Review: Five Most Impressive Gaming Companies

DomsPlaying1 Comment

The year-end push keeps going!

On this Final Friday of 2022, I’ll recap the most impressive and relevant companies across the games industry.

This will cover larger companies, whether they are publicly-traded, subsidiaries or owned independently. (My next article will delve into the year’s premier indie studios and smaller development squads.)

It’s mainly meant as a celebration to the thousands of talented folks that work at these places and make the industry what it is. While 2022 wasn’t as busy on the release calendar at the AAA and mid-tier level, there were plenty of stand-outs that launched games or revealed upcoming projects.

Without further ado, from hardware manufacturers to software developers, here they are in alphabetical order!

FromSoftware Inc

First up is really the easiest pick of the bunch. Over the past decade, FromSoftware has established itself as the premier studio for crafting challenging role-playing experiences with incredible art direction, creepy vibes and fantastic lore. The Japanese developer, spearheaded by mastermind designer Hidetaka Miyazaki, has effectively created a genre with its Dark Souls series and boasts modern classics like Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Launching in February 2022, its latest masterpiece Elden Ring sprung the soulslike from a gaming genre to cultural touchstone. The open-world approach transformed the traditional model into something special, dominating social media for months and earning it Game of the Year honors at The Game Awards among other outlets. The game’s setting, The Lands Between, has become a legendary stomping ground for long-time fans and new players alike. Elden Ring sold a staggering 12 million copies in less than a month, the team’s fastest-selling title ever across its 35+ year history. It’s well on its way past 17 million and could pass the 20 million milestone in the new year.

Speaking of 2023, FromSoftware plans to return to one of its beloved, dormant franchises in Armored Core after revealing Armored Core VI: Rubicon of Fire earlier this month. There’s also rumblings of a potential Elden Ring expansion upcoming. Based on the way its history has shaped up, and how incredible 2022 was for the studio, it will undoubtedly continue to set standards of game design moving into the future.

Marvel Games

The folks behind Marvel Entertainment, one of the world’s biggest media houses, have made a concerted effort to expand more into the games industry during recent years. Especially more mainline, premium releases. From the likes of Marvel’s: Spider-Man in 2018 to 2020’s Marvel’s Avengers, Marvel Games has shown a dedication to fitting studios with the right properties to produce titles on both traditional and mobile platforms. This effort ramped up in the last few months, boasting critical successes and generating optimism around future announcements.

There was no more important launch in perhaps the company’s history than Marvel Snap, the mobile deck-building phenomenon that hit market in October. Its ingenious mechanical simplicity, exceptional card artwork and non-invasive monetization appealed to casual and core fans, even those without close ties to the cinematic universe. During its first month, Marvel Snap secured $10 million in revenue on 12 million downloads and earned Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards.

The team coordinated additional launches in the back half of 2022. This included Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PC in November and December’s Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a blend of tactical gameplay, card mechanics and relationship-building which catapulted it to overwhelming critical praise. Marvel Games also revealed upcoming projects alongside Skydance Media and Amy Hennig for a mysterious Black Panther/Captain America team-up, plus a collaboration with Motive Studios on an Iron Man action-adventure title. It’s reassuring to see the direction of Marvel Games and its clever licensing deals, which have and will continue to pay big dividends.

Raven Software

I briefly wrote about the next company on my list during my biggest trends of 2022 article, where I recapped the industry’s recent unionization efforts. Raven Software, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard based out of Wisconsin, saw certain employees lead the charge for workers’ rights in 2022 while simultaneously coordinating the follow-up to Call of Duty’s massively popular Warzone mode. Both of these accomplishments firmly land it among the year’s most exceptional, and impactful, triple-A studios.

Back in late 2021, Quality Assurance (QA) team members at Raven Software organized a strike after fellow teammates were fired. During January, these folks formed the Game Workers Alliance (GWA) in order to get a seat at the table in company dealings. Demands of the GWA included better timeline management, less crunch and more opportunities for underrepresented groups. In a historic May vote, an overwhelming majority of GWA members voted to unionize and were subsequently recognized by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This marked the second successful union in North America and the first at a major American games publisher.

Alongside all of this, Raven Software coordinated a massive revamping of Call of Duty’s free-to-play Warzone 2.0, one of console and PC gaming’s most popular battle royales. The team shipped the new mode on November 16th. Raven Software’s importance in the AAA space can’t be understated, and the icing on the cake is that Microsoft’s Head of Gaming Phil Spencer said the company would recognize the union if its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard takes place. In the broader workers’ rights push across games, Raven’s brave and committed QA workers were at the forefront.

PlayStation Studios

The most prolific first-party in gaming had another stellar year in 2022, shipping several major titles, pushing towards accessibility and securing multiple acquisitions that will bolster output for decades to come. PlayStation Studios, a worldwide conglomerate of Sony’s premier development teams, was responsible for new launches in a variety of franchises, including at least a couple Game of the Year contenders. Without the incredible effort of its employees, the year’s release calendar would have been barren.

To show the sheer level of output in 2022, here’s a list of the new titles moved by its various teams: Horizon Forbidden West, MLB The Show 22, Gran Turismo 7 and God of War: Ragnarok. Then there’s reissues or ports like The Last of Us Part 1 (even if more remaster than remake), Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PC. The likes of Santa Monica Studio and Guerilla Games created the year’s most epic experiences, showcasing amazing graphics, narrative prowess and animation chops. As the unsung hero, Sony San Diego’s annual MLB The Show baseball games are as consistent as they come. Gran Turismo 7 from Polyphony Digital was praised by critics as one of this generation’s best racing sims.

Not only that, Sony’s talented teams focused more on accessibility and inclusivity, an important movement that allows more gamers to enjoy PlayStation titles. Then there’s acquisitions that finalized in 2022 like Bungie and Savage Game Studios. The former is a significant piece of Sony’s goal to move into live services while the latter will bolster its newly-formed mobile division. PlayStation Studios is the reason to own a PlayStation 5, and its team members lived up to exceedingly high standards yet again.

Valve Corporation

Intriguingly, the reason I’ve concluded this list with Valve is not because of its industry-leading Steam platform. I will say the digital distribution continues to be the best place to own, organize and play PC titles, even as competitors like Epic Games push more into that segment of the market. Steam attracts a massive population of gamers, passing a major milestone this year in 30 million concurrent users during a weekend in October. This figure was roughly 27 million in late 2021, illustrating its illustrious appeal over the past 12 months.

The reason is simple: The Steam Deck. Until now, Valve had a tricky history with hardware. From Steam Machines to Steam Link, its devices garnered mixed reviews and minimal usage. It wasn’t until this February that Valve nailed a hardware design that truly revolutionized hardcore gaming. The Steam Deck handheld is Valve’s single best manufactured product to date, and the greatest hardware triumph of 2022. It’s flexible, easy to use and way more comfortable than it has any right to be. It allows access to one’s Steam Library, showcases a myriad of “Deck Verified” games plus can be used to access services like Xbox’s cloud offering. What I love the most is how the company actively supports people tinkering with it. It’s effectively a Linux-based PC in the palm of one’s hand, and I think the ideal place to play indies.

Even as a first iteration, it’s an essential part of how many people played this past year. Sure, there are drawbacks. Battery life isn’t great. Its price isn’t as attractive as something like Nintendo’s Switch. It can’t play my beloved Destiny natively (though that’s more on Bungie than Valve, I’d say). Still, signs point to 1 million units shipped in its first six months, which is a solid sales result considering how slowly it shipped. The Steam Deck is a more niche, premium product that single-handedly advanced the industry, and was by far my favorite piece of tech this year.

Thus concludes the awards for 2022’s most impressive gaming companies. Congrats to everyone that worked hard at these firms to produce some of gaming’s most memorable experiences and products. And thanks all for reading! Check back to the 2022 Year-in-Review megapost for all my year-end articles.

Sources: Company Investor & Media Sites, Game Workers Alliance, GamingonLinux, MobileGamer.Biz, Steam DB.

-Dom

2022 Year-in-Review: Biggest Trends in Gaming, Tech & Media

DomsPlaying2 Comments

In the first article of my year-end series, I’ll run through the biggest trends impacting gaming, media and technology during 2022.

It was a curious time of both disruption and normalization. For the former, there was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Countries grappled with lingering effects of coronavirus. Inflationary pressure combined with economic slowdowns across various regions. Billionaires and executives alike threw around money to scoop up companies. Gaming publishers delayed titles and shifted their release calendars.

As for the latter, companies everywhere settled into a “new normal” of hybrid working. Inflation started to cool in recent months. Consumer electronic manufacturers shored up supply chains, and began producing more inventories. Notably within gaming hardware. Consumers shifted back towards forms of entertainment outside their homes.

Way back in January, I predicted some of these would happen. Though certainly not all of them! That said, now that we’ve experienced it, here’s a list of major stories that fundamentally changed these sectors during 2022. Here’s hoping this article trends towards keeping your interest!

Games Industry Workers Increased Unionization Efforts

This is one of my predictions that I’m happy came true. Employees fighting for their rights, notably those that work in gaming, ramped up substantially in the last 12 months. In January, Quality Assurance (QA) workers at Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software started up the Game Workers Alliance (GWA). Then in May, that team became the first union ever to form at a gaming publisher in the United States. Later, Vodeo Games was the first entire gaming studio in North America to unionize when it voted in September.

More recently, earlier this month Microsoft executives said they would recognize a union being formed by roughly 300 employees of ZeniMax Studios. This in particular is a significant move towards worker rights, as the Communication Workers of America (CWA) celebrated Microsoft’s willingness to recognize and not force a protracted legal battle. Seeing a company as massive and influential as Microsoft to make this decision showed how 2022 was a significant year for unions and workers’ rights in the games industry, and I fully expect this trend to accelerate into 2023.

Social Media, Elon Musk’s Twitter & TikTok’s Expansion

I’m lumping in a couple topics here that dominated the social media landscape this past year. It’s hard to avoid hearing from billionaire weirdo and apartheid apologist Elon Musk, especially when he single-handedly upended the space with his October purchase of Twitter for $44 billion. What followed in the coming weeks was a simultaneous mass exodus from the firm and Musk touting how the platform saw record engagement. Thankfully he claims he’ll be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer soon, because a poll of Twitter uses told him to do so, though the damage has been done for many that moved towards the likes of alternatives in Hive Social or Mastodon.

Elsewhere, in the video streaming world, TikTok’s popularity skyrocketed in 2022 after gaining traction during quarantine times. It began the year with over 1 billion monthly active users (MAUs). Statista estimates it will end the year at upwards of 1.7 billion MAUs, and will likely pass 2 billion in 2023. It’s been downloaded over 3.5 billion times, only the 5th platform ever to accomplish this figure and the first on that list to not be owned by Facebook parent Meta Platforms. The short-form video content platformer has become a premier destination, both for creators and fans, and often dictates trends or news stories especially among its younger users.

Evolution of Working: Remote, Hybrid & Four-Day Work Weeks

Even if certain leaders (see the aforementioned Musk) insist on forcing people back into the office, plenty of big companies settled into a hybrid working compromise in 2022. Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta have all embraced some form of a hybrid working model. Almost 90% of European companies surveyed by Owl Labs planned to offer hybrid solutions post-pandemic. On the upside, it’s a much more flexible environment for workers and often acts as a welcoming culture for talent. Downside is there are still disruptions in workflow and tech availability, which can push software or products back. As exhibited by how many big title delays happened in the games industry especially.

Additionally, various gaming companies experimented with instituting four-day work weeks, meant to alleviate crunch and provide a more balanced work-life dynamic. Eidos Montreal, Eidos Sherbrooke, Kitfox Games, Armor Games, ManaVoid Entertainment, Young Horses Games and Crows Crows Crows are examples of studios that have shifted towards this type of schedule while maintaining pay levels for their employees. Not only is it promoting work-life harmony, it’s an excellent bargaining chip for companies when attracting talent.

Microsoft & Activision Blizzard Facing Regulatory Scrutiny & Sony’s Ire

It’s hard to believe that Microsoft announced its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard this past January. It feels like the biggest story in gaming, perhaps ever, and the resulting talk about further consolidation in the games industry has been in the news cycle for an eternity. The company’s representations argue that it will actually increase competition and aid development resources because of access to Xbox Game Pass and more direct financial support, and has offered good faith deals to Sony, Nintendo and Valve to have Activision’s bellwether franchise Call of Duty remain on other platforms for at lease a decade. So far, only Nintendo and Valve have accepted.

While certain jurisdictions like Brazil and Saudi Arabia have already approved the deal, other regions and countries are scrutinizing it closely. Namely the United Kingdom’s Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) and now Lina Khan’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) here in the United States, the latter of which is seeking to potentially block the purchase by pushing the Seattle-based tech giant towards a major legal battle. Then of course there’s Sony, Microsoft’s main competitor in the premium console space, that’s naturally opposed to it. Personally I still think the acquisition will happen, perhaps with some conditions, just not before Microsoft’s target of June 2023.

Supply Chain & New Gaming Hardware Inventory Rebound

Can you believe it’s been two years since the launch of Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S family? And almost a year since Valve’s Steam Deck handheld (a device from that I think has revolutionized PC and portable gaming)? To say it’s been a tumultuous beginning to the new console cycle is an understatement, as supply disruptions plus chip shortages have made it difficult for consumers to find these boxes at retail. Though after a rough stretch in the front half of the year, indicators are finally signaling better availability.

Supply chains are improving, part prices are topping out and suppliers are pushing more inventory to market. This is illustrated by better hardware results lately for key markets like the United States, where both new families have been growing, sometimes in the double-digits. Data from a Top 5 global games market in the United Kingdom show that November was the biggest month of 2022 for console sales. Valve’s Steam Deck shipments have risen drastically since the February launch, when the company was dealing with slowdowns amidst long waiting lists. There’s also Sony’s upbeat target for hardware shipments during its current fiscal year. It’s safe to say these stats are pointing to a positive trend, and certainly bodes well for the new year, during which I expect upward growth for all three devices.

Weakness in Mobile Drives Lower Spending on Games Industry

Admittedly this is a miss for me when it comes to my prediction, as I expected global games industry value to be flat or up slightly in 2022. The reason? Mainly because I was more optimistic than I should have been on mobile. Even with the late year output push by hardware manufacturers, spending across games is trending downward for this past year. Both globally and within the United States, as Newzoo expects the former to decline 4% to $184 billion and The NPD Group currently shows domestic spending down 6% to $48.97 billion through November.

At a global scale, mobile’s value is trending 6% lower to $92 billion. Within the United States, this sub-category is likely to show between a 1% to 2% dip. To illustrate how significant this is, that would be the first time in Sensor Tower’s tracked history in which mobile experiences an annual decline. And it usually makes up half or more of the Video Game Content category, which is the largest contributor to U.S. spending. Combine mobile weakness with the impact of a sparser release calendar for premium games and global hardware sales looking to move down 4% to $52 billion, and 2022 is trending closer and closer to pre-pandemic levels.

Continued Expansion of Subscriptions, Streaming & Cloud Services

As expected by nearly every talking head that covers consumer sectors and technology, including yours truly, 2022 showed further movement towards subscriptions, streaming and cloud across various media types. These sorts of ongoing digital content distribution strategies are all the rage at companies, from Walt Disney Co’s Disney Plus and Warner Bros’ HBO Max to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass alongside Sony’s PlayStation Plus. This past year featured many avenues to watch television shows, check out new films and enjoy game libraries, whether locally or on streaming devices. Disney Plus recently passed 164 million subscribers, up 12 million year-on-year. The combined audience of Walt Disney’s streaming platforms rose almost 4 million in the quarter ending September. While Netflix’s user base initially declined in the early parts of its latest fiscal year, it’s since rebounded to 223 million after adding 2.4 million in the latest quarter, above estimates.

In gaming, Sony rebranded its PlayStation Plus service back in June to offer certain new titles as part of the Premium tier. Microsoft said Xbox Game Pass is showing growth on console and PC, though the former is slowing as the market saturates, and shared that 20 million people have used its cloud streaming tech which is twice as many as in 2021. Finally, Microsoft signed a deal to offer Xbox Game Pass on new Samsung televisions, a move that further exhibits how distribution will be in the future without even a need for gaming hardware. Digital is now dominant in these sectors with its allure of ongoing revenue and audience retention, and I expect even more segmentation across 2023 and beyond.

There you have my coverage of the biggest trends of 2022. Thanks for reading this far! Head back to the 2022 Year-in-Review Megapost for all year-end content here at Working Casual, and be well everyone.

Sources: Chris Chang (Image Credit), Company Investor Websites, GamesIndustry.Biz, Getty Images, Newzoo, The NPD Group, Owl Labs, PlayStation Blog, Sensor Tower, Social Shephard, Statista, ThisisEngineering (Image Credit).

-Dom

2022 Year-in-Review Megapost is Here

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It’s the last week of 2022. Which means one thing, of course.

We’ll see the ball drop soon on the new year? Well, maybe. But actually: It’s time for Working Casual’s annual Year-in-Review series!

This will be the sixth installment of the perennial article set celebrating gaming, media, technology and the trends, companies and smaller teams making big impacts across these sectors.

In a broad sense, major stories within these included the evolution of hybrid working, supply chain and logistics recoveries, better widespread unionization efforts, subscription services rebranding towards growth, cloud gaming expansion, major delays for AAA titles, general consumer spending declines, ongoing games tapping the Metaverse, the volatility of cryptocurrency, and, a personal favorite, the innovation of Valve’s Steam Deck on the gaming hardware front.

Throughout the next week, I’ll have multiple articles covering everything that was the past year. Trends, companies, indie studios and my favorite games will engulf the site like fireworks in the night sky. See below for the article titles. I recommend bookmarking and checking back often as I post them leading up to New Year’s Day.

Biggest Trends in Gaming, Tech & Media

Five Most Impressive Gaming Companies

Independent Studios of the Year

Dom’s Top 10 Games of the Year

Thanks everyone for hanging out here and on social media. Sending all the best to you and yours as we wrap up another year, and move into a new one!

-Dom